A Crow's Feast
by catandwrite
Summary: When Eliza ran away from her cruel brother and his gang, The Crows, the last thing she expected was to immediately become entangled with the Van der Linde gang. All she wants is to leave her old life behind and start new, but when the Pinkertons show up and drive the gang closer to St. Denis, she's forced to face her brother and the ruin he's caused. (Arthur/OC, One-sided Micah/OC)
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

This had to end. Right here. Right now.

"Ah, Eliza, my dear sister. Come, join me." Vincent beckoned her forward with a cruel smile. He thought he had her in his clutches, but Eliza was done playing his game.

The revolver was clenched in her right hand which she had carefully tucked into the folds of her black skirts. No one had noticed yet. She paused for a moment at the top of the steps to survey the room below her. She stole a glance down at the men of the Van der Linde gang who had come for her, hoping they could retrieve her. Her gaze was automatically drawn to Arthur who looked as stoic as ever and her heart ached. The last time they had seen each other she had screamed at him for seeing Mary. What was the last thing she had even said to him? God, it was probably something horrible. She'd give anything to take it back now since it probably be the last thing she ever said to him.

Arthur's blue eyes were staring intensely at her, and she could see the silent hope in them. It was practically a plea for her to make it back to him. It was probably impossible, but some part of her hoped she would. At least for a moment.

She tore her gaze away from him and somehow landed on Micah. Oh Micah, he was always the worst at concealing his emotions. His fist was clenched at his side, itching to draw his gun and he was scowling deeply. At least he was holding back. Her heart ached for Micah as well. He had tried so hard for her, to be some form of a better man for her, but she would never return his affection. Sometimes she wished she could.

Eliza pulled herself back to reality and focused on Vincent. He stood at the top of the grand staircase in his finest black suit, perfectly groomed as normal. Armed guards stood behind him on the opposite set of stairs and there were several more behind her just waiting for someone to make a threatening move. It wouldn't even take them a second to... she pushed her bloody thoughts out of her mind. She couldn't afford to back down now. She smiled sweetly at Vincent and began descending the steps towards him. Each step felt heavy, like her feet weighed a thousand pounds. Her heart pounded in her ears so loud and fast that she was sure Vincent or one of his surrounding guards would hear it at any moment, but she kept herself composed.

This was no time for doubt.

When she finally felt she was close enough, she halted her descent. Vincent's smile faltered when she paused, but hers didn't.

"It's over, Vincent."

Without hesitation she raised her revolver, and pulled the trigger.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Valentine**

 _Several Months Earlier_

"Shit," Eliza cursed aloud. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!"

On the bed in front of her she had spread out her remaining money and it wasn't a lot. She paced the length of her hotel room for the hundredth time, her head swirling with doubt and dismay. Since running away from that…that monster, she had somehow landed herself in the small livestock town Valentine. Between stabling her horse and paying for the hotel room for the past week she had blown through more than half the cash she had brought with her. Once it ran out…well she had no clue what she was going to do.

She glanced out the window and wrinkled her nose in disgust. She hated this damn town. The stench of shit permeated in every crevice of Valentine and she was sure the smell had permanently sunk into her skin and clothes by now. Not only that but she stuck out like a sore thumb. Even her plain dresses were all too fine compared to the other woman's here and too dark in color. Maybe it was time to replace her wardrobe. Eliza glanced down at her silky black dress and felt a rush of emotion flood through her. Nothing would ever be the same again. It was time to rid herself of the past, starting with new clothes.

A huge bang in the room next door caught Eliza's attention. She froze in the middle of her room and closed her eyes, straining to hear any further commotion. After a few seconds there was another crash.

"Stupid bitch!" A man's voice roared. Without hesitation Eliza immediately crept out of her room and up to the door of the room emitting all the commotion. She pressed her ear against the door. "I'm going to get what I paid you for whether you like it or not!" The man screamed. Eliza heard the sounds of two people struggling followed by the sound of a girl screaming out and falling to the floor.

He had hit her!

Without thinking Eliza threw open the door, coming face to face with a man in only his ridiculous white undergarments, standing over a buxom blonde who was sprawled out on the floor holding her already bruised chin.

"Who the fuck are you?" The man demanded but Eliza ignored his question.

"Get away from her!" Eliza yelled and pushed past him, kneeling next to blonde. "Are you okay? Let's get you out of here!"

"Oh, hell no!" The man said as he slammed the door to the room. The click of the lock echoed in Eliza's ears and she gulped. What had she gotten herself into? "She ain't leaving and neither are you! One of you is going to fuck me!"

Eliza stood as tall as she could, which wasn't anywhere near impressive even compared to other woman, and faced the man with as brave a face as she could muster. He didn't hesitate to rush forward and back hand her out of the way. The sound of the slap echoed through the whole room and she fell to the ground from the force of it. Tears stung her eyes and her ears were ringing, but she refused to cry out in pain.

The blonde shot up and grabbed the man's arm. "Hey! Leave her alone, you're here for me not here!" She demanded. He turned on his heel and punched her again. She hit the floor looking dazed by the second blow. He loomed over her, ready to hit her again.

"Get off of her!" Eliza screamed at the man as she sprang up and grabbed his arm before he could punch the blonde again. He ripped his arm out of her grasp, and simultaneously pushed her back onto the bed as he did. Eliza's heart was racing. How the hell were they going to stop this guy?

"I'm getting what I paid for!" He roared at her, but turned his fury back on the blonde yet again. He raised his fist again.  
"Hey!"

The door flew open with a bang, having been kicked in by a tall man wearing a cowboy hat and a dark gunslinger coat. Splinters from the doorframe flew across the floor. Eliza flinched. He was by far the most intimidating man she had seen in Valentine yet.

"Who are you?" Their attacker demanded.

"A friend of hers," The man gestured to the blonde. Eliza couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief. Thank god someone had come.

"Get outta here buddy, I paid!" Their attacker replied like it was the most sensible rationale to the situation.

"Ain't paid to hit them, you goddamn animal!" Their saviour growled through clenched teeth. "Come here!" He sprang forward, his fist connected with the man's face. He grunted in pain but shook off the blow and attempted to hit back, but the blonde's companion was like a rabid animal. Within moments he had landed several more hits on the man and knocked him completely out. His limp body hit the floor with a hollow thunk. With a final grumble he spat on the unconscious man and turned to the blonde.

She stood slowly, gently cupping her sore jaw. "Thanks, Arthur," she nodded to the man who had busted into their room. She turned to Eliza and extended her hand, helping her off the bed. "And thank you Miss…?"

"Eliza," She replied breathlessly, nodding to both her and the man named Arthur. "Eliza Coleman."

"Karen Jones," she replied. "Come on, lets get out of here." Karen waved her forward and they followed Arthur out of the room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Arthur demanded of Karen.

"Trying to play him. Not very well," She admitted with a sullen look.

"You okay?" he asked more gently this time.

"Fine…" Karen nodded.

"And you?" he asked glancing back at Eliza. She was able to get a good look at Arthur. Damn it all, he was a handsome man. His blue eyes were bright and surprisingly warm, a stark contrast from his gunslinger jacket and thick beard. His dirty blonde hair was in desperate need of a fresh cut and some pomade, but despite his rough look Eliza couldn't help but feel her heart race as his eyes traveled over her face, but guilt quickly weighed the pounding down and she felt sick to her stomach. What was wrong with her. Realizing he was waiting on an answer, Eliza forced those thoughts out of her mind and focused on the stinging of her cheek to keep herself present.

"I'm fine, sir," she replied.

"Arthur Morgan," he replied.

"Thank you, Mr. Morgan," She managed to say. It was hard to talk when his intense blue eyes were piercing into her. Part of her wanted to run back to her room and squeal into her pillow like a pubescent girl, and part of her wanted to follow them and learn more about this man. She decided to follow them, reasoning that Karen and Arthur were the most interesting people she happened upon in Valentine so far. That was absolutely the only reason, at least that's what she told herself.

Arthur tipped his head in acknowledgment to Eliza, then turned back to Karen, eyeing her chin again. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Nothing…nothing to worry about just…men, but…stupid bastard." Karen's fell into step next to Arthur and her voice dropped to a whisper. Eliza could barely make out a few of her next words. "Stupid bastard…the bank."

"The bank?" Arthur replied in the same hushed tone. His rough voice was not as easily concealed as Karen's.

"Sure…a livestock town," Karen continued whispering. "…lots of cash sometimes."

That part caught Eliza's attention. They were skulking for robbery tips. Eliza's stomach soured even further and she wondered if she could hold her breakfast in. They were outlaws. Gang members more than likely, and Eliza didn't know if she could be apart of that lifestyle. Not again. Still, if it meant getting the money she needed to leave everything behind for good…she was willing to do whatever it took. Now she had another reason to keep following them.

"Okay…keep investigating," Arthur muttered as they reached the ground floor of the hotel.

"I will," Karen replied with a nod.

Arthur held open the door and waved them both forward. "After you ladies," he said. He eyed Eliza as she stepped through the threshold, and she offered him an innocent smile hoping that would convince him she hadn't heard anything. Once they had exited the hotel, Karen immediately began heading across the street to a small group consisting of two other women and an old man.

"Thank you Arthur, I don't much like being saved but...when I have to be," She called back to him.

"I understand," he replied just as they reached the group.

"You okay?" The woman in a yellow dress asked Karen.

"Sure, he only punched me," Karen replied sarcastically. "Arthur punched him a lot harder," she scoffed. "Though if it wasn't for Miss. Coleman over here jumping in and stalling the man, I don't think Arthur would have made it on time." The two other girls eyed her warily.

"Please, call me Eliza," she replied with a small smile.

"Sorry…Eliza," Karen rolled her eyes. Guess she didn't like her name so much. "Anyway, this here is Mary-Beth Gaskill," The brunette extended her hand and shook Eliza's with a small smile. "And this is Tilly Jackson," Karen introduced the Umber-skinned woman. Tilly didn't hide her skepticism as well as Mary-Beth. She kept her hand to herself and eyed Eliza up and down with a look of disdain on her face.

"Pleasure to meet you both…" Eliza muttered.

"And this old sack is Uncle," Karen finished.

"My, my, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said with a large smile. He grabbed her hand and bent down to kiss it but Arthur quickly blocked him and pushed him away.

"Keep your hands to yourself, old man. She don't need your grimy lips all over her," he said with a smirk. Eliza smiled at the exchange but it quickly faltered when she saw the intense glare Mary-Beth had turned on her. Were they together? Eliza quickly scolded herself for even wondering.

"Just trying to be polite," Uncle grumbled.

"Hey, who's that guy over there looking at us?" Mary-Beth suddenly interjected, pointing to a man across the street. Everyone quickly turned to see a man dressed in a suit, atop a horse watching the group intently.

"Weren't you in Blackwater a few weeks back?" He asked, pointing directly to Arthur.

Blackwater? That rang a bell. Eliza searched her mind trying to remember what news she had heard about Blackwater recently.

"Me? No, sir. Aint from there," Arthur replied, shaking his head.

"Oh, you were. Well, I definitely saw you. With a bunch of fellers." the man insisted, not realizing what dangerous territory he was treading into.

Eliza racked her brain but the memory wouldn't come to her. The damned man in the hotel room must have knocked her brain a silly.

"Me? No. Impossible." Arthur sighed, resigning to the fact that this man was not going to stop his prying. "Listen, buddy. Come here for a minute," he called out.

"I saw you…" The man gulped suddenly much less brave with his accusations than he had been mere moments before.

"Come here!" Arthur yelled.

With a frightened look the man yanked on his horse's reins. "Come on, get!" he yelled as he took off in a gallop.

"Shit, go get the girls home!" Arthur yelled to Uncle. "Im gonna have a word with our friend!"

"Be careful, Arthur." Mary-Beth called out as he hopped onto the nearest horse and took off after the man. Eliza was sure she could hear a man call out to Arthur about his horse, but he was long gone now. Hopefully he brought it back.

As they all silently watched Arthur ride away Eliza suddenly remembered what she'd heard. A gang had robbed a ferry in Blackwater a few weeks back. A few of the members had been caught, but most of them had disappeared along with the money. Over one hundred thousand dollars from what she had heard. Eliza bit her lip. If she could get her hands on even a sliver of that cash, she'd have more than enough to buy her ticket out of here and then some. She glanced to the group around her. She almost couldn't believe these people were part of that gang - what had they been called? That detail she couldn't quite remember. Eliza eyed the group around her. She knew the girls had been out trying to play a few of the local men, so she could imagine them running with a gang, but Uncle? Her gaze landed on the old man. There was no way this guy was some ruthless gunslinger. Still, if this was the gang from Blackwater, she'd have to come up with a plan to get a piece of that money. As much as she hated it, her mind was made up.

"Shit!" Karen muttered. Uncle cleared his throat and shook his head at her, but she didn't catch the hint. "Barely got here and already we got people recognizing us from Blackwater."

"Karen!" Mary-Beth snapped. Only then did the blonde seem to remember that Eliza was among them.

"Shit!" Karen cursed again when she looked at Eliza.

Tilly sprang forward and grabbed Eliza's wrist in an iron grasp. "Damn it, Karen!" She hissed through clenched teeth. "What should we do with her, Uncle?" she asked.

Eliza tensed. Karen's slip up may have just cost her her chance at getting any part of this money. Or even worse…her life.

Uncle sighed and scratched his beard in thought.

"Oh, come on, Uncle," Karen pleaded the old man. "Lets just take her back to camp with us and let Dutch decide… I'll vouch for her."

"What?" Eliza and Mary-Beth asked at the same time.

"She had my back in there, which is a lot more than I can say for some of you lot," She glared at Mary-Beth in particular as she spoke. "So, lets take her back to camp."

Uncle shrugged nonchalantly, "Alright then."

"You can't be serious!" Tilly said.

"Dutch is never going to approve," Mary-Beth added, crossing her arms. "We got enough mouths to feed as it is and not enough to go around!"

Eliza was just as shocked as the two girls. Maybe luck was actually on her side today. Finally.

"Karen wants her, I'll let her make the case to Dutch," Uncle replied. "Let's just hurry and get on back."

Tilly scoffed and threw Eliza's arm down and stalked after Uncle. Mary-Beth quickly followed. Karen stepped forward and looped her arm with Eliza's, pulling her towards the direction Uncle had gone.

"Come on," she said. "Cart's over here."

"Wait! My bag!" Eliza said suddenly realizing she was leaving all her possessions behind. She tried to dig her heels into the ground but Karen easily pulled her forward.

"Leave it," Karen told her. "We'll ask one of the boys to get it for you later."

Eliza shook her head. "My picture…There's a picture I need to get!" She insisted. The thought of possibly losing her picture brought tears to her eyes. It was the only one she had of him…it was the only way she could remember Edward. "Karen, I don't care about anything else. I just need that picture."

"Look, I'll send Arthur back for it when he gets back to camp, okay?" Karen suggested. When Eliza still hesitated she continued, "He'll do it. He's real good about important stuff like this."

"Okay…" Eliza relented. "Thank you."

"Pfft, don't thank me yet," Karen chuckled as she resumed leading Eliza forward. "We still gotta convince Dutch you're better off in a tent rather than dead."

"Right…"

Despite Karen's warning, Eliza wasn't worried. If this Dutch was anything like Uncle…she'd have him wrapped around her finger in no time.

* * *

 **Hi everyone!**

 **Thanks for reading the first few chapters of _A Crow's Feast!_ I hope you enjoyed it. I feel like chapter one is a bit of a rough start and could probably be better but I really just needed to get myself going. I have a habit of getting stuck on the first chapter and never completing anything, so I'm definitely proud that I made it to my first goal of getting this posted. I hope the start isn't too confusing!**

 **This story is mainly a fun piece for myself. I write it in my spare time or when I get tired of my more serious writing projects. I hope it helps to stretch my writing legs and help me grow a little bit. I plan to try and update this story once a week by at least wednesday or thursday night so please keep on the look out for updates.**

 **Any constructive criticism is appreciated but please be nice. This isn't meant to be a serious or perfect story but I still hope you guys enjoy it.**

 **Till next week!**

 **-Lexi**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Horseshoe Overlook**

The moment the wagon pulled into camp all attention was drawn to Eliza. It was like they all had a sixth sense and could tell an outsider had stepped into their midst without even seeing her. The first person to reach them was a lithe old man with a kind face. He looked Eliza up and down then smiled.

"And who might this be?" he asked with a smirk. Eliza could tell he was just ready to see the shit-show that was about to happen.

"Eliza Coleman," Karen replied to him. "New girl I found."

"Oh," he nodded. "And does Dutch know you were coming back with a new girl?"

"Well…" Karen averted her eyes and shrugged her shoulders.

"We told her it was a bad idea, but you know Karen," Tilly said as she and Mary-Beth passed by them and walked towards camp. "Can't wait to see what Dutch says." They giggled amongst themselves once they were out of earshot. Eliza resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Oh, I can't wait to hear what reasoning you have behind this," he chuckled then fully turned to Eliza, acknowledging her for the first time. "I'm Hosea Matthews, it's a pleasure to meet ya."

"Like wise," Eliza nodded back with a small smile. It was harder to swallow her rising apprehension than she thought it would be. So far no one was as intimidating as she had pictured, but still her stomach bubbled nervously.

"Here comes your welcoming committee," He nodded towards a few men walking towards them. "Good luck, my dear." Smiling, he stepped aside, practically throwing her to the wolves.

Well, she'd finally found the intimidating members of the gang. Three men, glowering at her, were swaggering towards her and Karen. The first person Eliza noticed was a well dressed man, wearing a dark vest and clean collared shirt. His dark hair was combed back and his mustache perfectly trimmed. That had to be Dutch, their leader, Eliza thought. That was the man she had to convince to let her stay. Maybe this wouldn't be as easy as she thought.

The next person her gaze fell on was a sorry looking man with deep gouges on his face that were crudly stitched together. He looked as if he'd been nearly torn apart. It was hard to keep looking at him, so she didn't. She quickly moved on to the final person.

The last man reminded her of a bear. His shoulders were incredibly broad, and his arms at least four times the size of hers. He walked proudly but his face was kind, despite his stern expression. He was Native American, obvious by both his skin tone and the necklace he wore around his neck.

How the hell was she going to win them over?

"What the hell, Uncle?" The man with the stitched cuts on his face yelled.

"It ain't Uncle's fault, its mine!" Karen exclaimed, quickly taking the attention off Uncle who had been trying to hide behind the horses as he untethered them from the wagon. "I'm the one who asked to bring her."

"Are you serious? Do you even know who she is? She could be another damn O'Driscall for all we know!" The man carried on, his raspy voice growing louder as his temper rose.

"I'm not…" Eliza was cut off by Karen.

"She ain't an O'Driscall," Karen said rolling her eyes. "I accidently ran my mouth off about Blackwater in front of her, okay?"

"So not only do we not know who she is but she also knows about Blackwater?" the other man asked, shaking his head. "Karen…"

"I know, I know! But Dutch…" She turned to the leader who was stroking his chin, looking both unpleased and unnervingly thoughtful. "I almost got my ass knocked out by some drunk and she jumped in to help me without even worrying about herself. She ain't gonna go spouting off our business, especially if we keep her close to camp."

"No!" the stitched up man yelled again. "No way! I'm telling you Dutch it's a bad idea!"

"Um…" Eliza tried to interject again but Karen spoke over her.

"I'll watch her Dutch. Promise. Hell, if she does anything you can get rid of both of us!" Karen argued. Just as the man was about to reply, Dutch cut everyone off.

"Calm down now, boys," the Dutch said, while gesturing downwards. "As of right now, Miss. Coleman here is nothing more than a guest in our humble abode. I highly doubt she's come, guns blazing to cause us trouble. For now, let's just get to know each other." No one looked happy about his declaration, but the men visibly calmed. The man with the cuts on his face nodded begrudgingly. "Welcome, my dear," he continued taking her hand in both of his. "I am Dutch Van der Linde, leader of this band of misfits."

"Nice to meet you," she replied, her voice smaller than she had hoped it be.

"It is truly a pleasure," he smiled. "I hope you'll excuse John, over here," he gestured to the man with gouges on his face. "He's just not been himself lately. And this man here is dear Charles. You'll find him much more agreeable than most of these sorry sacks here." Charles nodded politely at Eliza, before she could say anything to him Dutch had swept her away, leading her further into the camp by her hand.

"Now come, allow me to introduce you to the Van der Linde gang, my dear!" he declared.

By the time Dutch had dragged Eliza through the whole camp the sun was setting and she was completely overwhelmed trying to remember which names belonged to which faces. Plus there was a slew of people who weren't even present at the camp that she had to meet still. Well, she'd meet them if she lived long enough to. Dutch hadn't made his final decision yet. She was guessing he needed to see for himself a reason to keep her around, or she needed to get more of the gang on her side. Either way, Eliza was determined to sway him, one way or another.

"Come on, I'll set you up with a spot by me," Karen said after Dutch had finished their introductions.

"Now hold on a minute," Dutch quickly interjected. "I'd like to speak with Miss. Coleman, alone for a moment."

"Of course," Eliza nodded politely. Now was the time to dazzle Dutch, or make him feel sorry for her. One of the two.

"Okay," Karen nodded. "I'll just be over there." she pointed to her tent that was strung off a covered wagon.

"I'll find you in a bit," Eliza told her then followed Dutch to his tent. It was quite a bit larger than the rest of the gang's and quite a bit nicer as well.

"After you," Dutch said as Eliza walked past him, stepping into his cloth abode. He untied the flaps on all sides of the tent, giving them privacy from the rest of the camp for their conversation then sat down on his cot. He gestured for her to sit down on a small bench across from him.

"Now tell me," Dutch leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and hands clutched together holding up his chin. "What is a woman like you doing in Valentine?"

It was a question that was almost too big to answer. Eliza took a moment to gather her thoughts. What was she going to tell him? The truth, she decided. Or at least some version of it.

"I'm originally from St. Denis," She began. She forced tears to her eyes, which wasn't so hard if she focused on the right thought. Men couldn't resist the tears. "My brother and I…we were all each other had, until we had some trouble with a gang and….and…" she stuttered and sniffled, acting like it was the hardest sentence for her to utter.

"I understand," Dutch replied softly and Eliza nodded. She didn't have to finish. Her simplified sob story was all it took. "Miss. Coleman, I'll be the first to admit that I have a soft spot for misfits with sad stories. You certainly fit that profile, but I want to make myself clear before I allow you to stay..." he dropped his hands and looked her deeply in the eyes. The light of the lantern flickered off his dark eyes and she could see something swimming in their depts. Something deadly. "If you do anything that threatens the safety of my people, I will not hesitate to kill you. So, if you have come here with any ill intentions, I recommend you leave tonight. If not, then work. Contribute to this camp, and prove you belong here."

Eliza nodded. "I understand, Dutch." She hesistated to wonder what he would do to her if he ever found out that her story abou her brother wasn't entirely true. She pushed the thoughts away. By the time he ever suspected anything she'd be long gone, that was for sure.

Within a moment, Dutch's demeanor had completely changed. He smiled and said, "Good. It was a pleasure speaking with you, my dear. I'm sure Karen has set up a nice spot for you with the other girls."

"Thank you," she said quietly. With a small smile she exited his tent. The sun was almost set now. The majority of the sky was dark, except for a cascade of pink and orange just on the horizon that still lit everything in an orange hue. From across the camp Eliza could see Miss. Grimshaw glaring at her and she bristled under her intense gaze. Most of the gang members did not seem happy about her arrival. Part of her was afraid they could see right through her intentions. The other part of her didn't care if they did.

Eliza walked towards the cart Karen had pointed out earlier. All the gang's horses were either hitched or roaming close by. A pang hit her heart as she remembered her dear Dutch Warmblood, Sparrow, was still stabled in Valentine. Maybe she could ask someone to take her to fetch him. She passed by Bill, who was sitting at a small wood table with a deck of cards and he sneered at her. Scratch that. She had no clue who she could even ask. All the men in camp would probably pitch her off a cliff at the first opportunity, if not shoot her in the back and call it a day and from what she could figure, the woman weren't allowed out of camp without an escort. Whether it was for protection or control was yet to be seen.

Through the dim evening light, Eliza could barely make out the siholutee of someone riding in on a horse through the tree line. They trotted into the lamp light by the hitches and Eliza's heart lept into her throat. It was Arthur. He immediately noticed her as he rode up to a hitch and waved her over. Without hesitation she approached him. It took her a second longer than she wanted to admit to see her bag stowed on the back of his horse. Arthur pulled it down easily.

"Here, Karen asked me to get this for ya." Arthur held out her pack and she eagerly took it from him.

"Thank you, Arthur," She smiled appreciativly and he nodded back.

"Don't hesitate to ask if you need anything," he said. "I ain't always here, but my tent is just over there, next to the ammo stock." She took note of that. Maybe she could ask him to help her retrieve Sparrow. At least there was one person here who she could rely on. Well, besides Karen that is.

"Thank you again. Have a good night, Arthur." Why was she saying his name so much? She sounded crazy, but she couldn't help it. His name was like honey in her mouth, sweet and delicious but stupidly difficult to swallow.

"You too, Miss Coleman," he said with a wave and walked towards his tent.

Eliza quickly made her way towards the other girls. Karen waved her over and Eliza plopped down on the ground in between her and a sullen looking woman named Sadie. At least, that's what she thought she was called. There were far too many people for her to accuratly remember.

"Oh, Arthur got you're bag to ya," Karen pointed out.

Eliza only nodded in response. Guilt was gnawing at her stomach. She began desperatly searching through her belongings. Finally, at the very bottom she found the picture she had been so afraid of losing and pulled it out.

The picture was a black and white portrait of her and a man, Edward. It was actually a horribly awkward photo. Their faces were strained, trying to keep their expressions neutral despite the smiles and laughter that threatened to overtake them. Speckles of mud could be seen on the bottom of his coat as a result of a wayward carriage splashing him just before they had walked into the studio. Eliza's obsidian hair was done up in a typical bun and was crooked, something Edward had failed to tell her despite having noticed. His dark hair was combed perfectly to the side as it always was. Regardless of the horrible photo it was obvious they were happy. God, everything had changed so fast.

"Who's that?" Karen asked carefully. God, how many times was she going to have to tell this story today? Were these people trying to rip her heart out?

"My husband," Eliza whispered. "He…he died." It was the first time she had said it aloud. Suddenly everything felt like it was crashing down around her. The reality of his death seemed to finally settle in her mind and anguish that she didn't even know was possible swept through her. Somehow, she managed to contain herself to a few silent tears instead of the hysterical sobs she desperatly wanted to break down into.

"How long ago?" Sadie spoke up for the first time since she had sat down.

"Um…" Eliza sniffled. "Just a few weeks ago." God, Edward's body was barely cold in the ground and here she was pining over some outlaw like some damsel waiting on her prince. What was wrong with her?

"Mine too," Sadie replied.

"Oh," Eliza nodded. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"He was a good man…my Jake…he was a good man," Sadie broke down into quiet sobs. It was obvious she was still hurting and the woman's sorrow only made Eliza feel worse. "What was your husband's name?" She managed to say between her sobs.

"Edward."

"How did he die?" Eliza asked.

"He was killed…by a different gang," she answered. "And Edward?"

"…The same."

"I'm sorry," Sadie said. She stood up suddenly and walked through the tree line, and out of sight. Eliza let out a shaky breath, and was quietly relieved that the conversation was over. She was supposed to be a grieving widow like Sadie, still mourning the death of Edward, not lusting after another man. More tears slid down her cheeks as she concluded that she was possibly the most wretched person in existance.

"Eliza…" Karen said softly, and put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. Eliza shrugged it off.

"It's been a long day…I'm just going to sleep," she murmered.

"Okay, Eliza…" Karen agreed.

With a final sniffle, Eliza shoved the photograph back into her bag and laid down, not even caring if she was in the right spot in the first place. Her guilt was being replaced by anger. Anger at herself for betraying Edward's memory and anger at Edward, for dying so early and leaving her alone. Most of all she was angry at her brother, the monster who was responsible for all of this. If it hadn't been for him, none of this would be happening. Curling into herself, Eliza finally fell asleep, dreaming of Edward and everything that could have been.

* * *

 **Hi everyone!**

 **Sorry this post is a week late. Last week was my birthday and i ended up celebrating for a few days and got behind. I feel like this chapter was short but it'll get us where we need to go. Next week's chapter should have more in it. We still have a bit before Eliza finally meets Micah, but only a chapter or two more. I'd also like to point out I'm an avid Micah hater lol, but this story was one of those that just kept pushing itself to be written, and unfortunatly it included horrible Micah.**

 **Well, that's it for this week. See you guys soon. If I finish the next chapter before next week I'll post it to make up for my lost week. We will see what happens. As always reviews are very appreciated. Thanks for reading!**

 **-Lexi**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Quiet Time**

Apparently, Eliza had not been in the right spot, which was very apparent when Mary-Beth 'accidently' shoved her foot into her stomach.

"Oops, I'm sorry, Eliza," she said in ridiculously fake sweet voice. "I was just trying to grab my hairbrush. I'm just not used to tip-toeing around. Especially not when someone sleeps in my spot all night." She smiled but Eliza took the hint.

"I get it, Mary-Beth," she grumbled, irritated. "I'll move."

"I think Karen set you up with a nice spot on the end there," she pointed to an empty sleep mat. "Well, that's what I assume, since _I_ had to sleep there."

"Oh, just drop it!" Eliza finally snapped. "I already said I'm moving." Not even caring that she had offended Mary-Beth, Eliza grabbed her bag and shoved past the woman, deliberately pushing her aside with her shoulder. She threw her bag down on her spot and put her hands on her hips, glaring at Mary-Beth. "There!"

With an offended scoff, Mary-Beth turned on her heel and stalked off. Eliza couldn't help but scoff as well, as she plopped down on her mat. She was the only one who's mat was not elevated off the ground by a piece of wood. It probably be some time before she got any luxury like that.

"God damn," Karen said, as she walked over to Eliza from behind the cart. "Didn't take you long to get on her bad side."

"Well, if she wasn't so damn rude…" Eliza began, exasperated and cranky from having been woken up so suddenly and early. It was barely dawn, the first rays of sunshine barely lighting the sky. Not even the birds had woken up yet.

"You sound like you need some coffee," Karen said beckoning her to stand.

"Coffee…sounds amazing," Eliza relented.

"Come on, then."

Karen led her to a small fire that was going on the other side of camp, where a black pot was hanging above it. Several plates were stacked next to it, and on the other side, a kettle and silver cups. What really caught her eye though, was the man behind the fire. How had she not noticed him yesterday? He was tied to a tree! She was sure she would have noticed that.

"Karen," Eliza whispered. She didn't know if she was supposed to ask about him. "who's that?" The man looked like he was in a sorry state. His face was cherry red with sunburn, and he cheeks sunken in from both dehydration and starvation. At the moment, he was still sleeping, his head hung limply in front of him as he slept upright, the only way he could.

"Oh, him?" she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Think his name is Kieran. Dutch and the boys found him awhile ago. He's an O'Driscoll. They're trying to get information out of him I think, or they just hate him. One of the two." Karen hung the kettle from the fire to warm up. 'Found him' was an interesting way to put it, Eliza thought.

"Oh," Eliza nodded.

She knew who the O'Driscolls were. Back in St. Denis when she'd been apart of her brother's…lifestyle, she'd even met Colm once or twice. They were much different than the Van der Linde gang. More blood thirsty, less family oriented. Colm and Vincent's values had always aligned well.

"You heard of them?" Karen asked as she finally poured the coffee from the hot kettle.

"No," Eliza lied. "I'm guessing they're a gang?"

"Yup, same guys killed Sadie's husband. Though, Kieran wasn't apart of it. Pretty sure Arthur, Dutch, and Micah killed the ones who did," She handed Eliza a hot cup and took a drink from her own. "I thought you said your husband was killed by another gang? It wasn't an O'Driscoll?"

Eliza paused before taking a drink from the coffee, caught off guard by Karen's question. "No," she finally said. "It wasn't an O'Driscoll. It was…another gang in St. Denis. I don't know their name," she lied again. Her mind immediately started to drift away once Edward was mentioned but Karen quickly brought her back to reality

"Sorry, should I have not brought him up?" She asked with a frown. Eliza shook her head.

"No, you're fine. If I don't learn how to talk about him...well…" she finally took her first sip of coffee. It was so bitter she couldn't help but scrunch her nose up, but the caffeine was too good to resist. She took another sip. "I'd end up like Sadie everytime."

"Ha, that's for sure!" Karen chuckled. Eliza hadn't meant for that to be funny. She took another swig of coffee, quickly getting used to the taste.

"So, what do we do?" Eliza asked, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen over them for several minutes.

"Pardon?" Karen raised an eyebrow.

"Here," Eliza corrected herself. "What do we do here all day?"

"Oh, chores mostly," she replied setting her mug back next to the fire. "Or, I don't know, be bored I guess. I read a lot."

That was surprising. Eliza choked on her coffee, having almost said her thought out loud. She definitely wouldn't have pinned the boisterous Karen as literate. Definitely not literate enough to enjoy a decent book.

"Don't worry, I'll show you what to do. We'll get calluses on those doll hands in no time!"

"Doll hands?"

"You're going to have to face it sometime, Eliza." Karen gestured at her with both hands. "You're the size of a doll. Pretty sure Jack is bigger than you."

"Har, har," Eliza replied, unamused.

* * *

Karen wasn't lying when she said she'd give Eliza calluses. They'd been doing laundry all day and Eliza's hands were red and sore from scrubbing. The sun was setting by the time they'd finished and made it back up the hill to camp.

"Smells like Pearson finally finished the stew," Karen said as she took a big whiff of the air.

"Thank god, I'm starving," Eliza said rubbing her grumbling stomach. There wasn't a lot of food to go around in the camp, which was concerning. They'd been snacking on crackers and apples all day waiting for Pearson to finish the stew, which was the only decent quality food they had. It was hard to admit, but Eliza wasn't use to living so…modestly. If you could say a bunch of murdering gunslingers were modest.

Eliza eagerly grabbed a plate and filled it with the stew from the pot. Karen grabbed two plates and did the same.

"I'm going to take one to Sadie. Doubt she's eaten all day…or even done anything," she mumbled the last part bitterly. "I'll catch up with you soon."

Eliza nodded in response and Karen took the two plates across camp. Behind their tents was a small trail that led to a broken cart and a large rock that Sadie seemed to hide herself away at. Although Eliza understood the woman's grief she couldn't help but feel frustrated as well. Sadie cried all day long. She did nothing else but cry. Eliza had felt guilty that her grief didn't match Sadie's over the death of her husband, but now she felt relief. She hadn't shut down. Not like Sadie. Edward would have never wanted to see her like that. He would have wanted to see her doing what she was doing now, pushing through and getting away from her brother. Though, she had to admit, he probably wouldn't be too happy to see her tangled up with another gang. Still, it was nice of the women to watch over Sadie, despite their frustration.

"Please help," a weak voice called out. Eliza whipped around. Kieran was awake and was looking at her through his dirty hair. "Please," he pleaded.

"You shouldn't talk to him."

Eliza jumped and dropped her spoon on the ground. She whipped around again, and came face to face with Arthur. "Shit, Arthur! You scarred me," she said breathlessly while putting her hand over her racing heart.

"Sorry," he apologized, picking up her spoon for her. "How are you settling in?"

"It's…" she bit her lip mulling over her day. Besides the chores it been filled with glares and whispers from everyone. "It's been interesting…not everyone is quite as friendly as I expected." she admitted to him honestly.

"Yeah…" he sighed. "I know. Trust me though, it ain't for no good reason. They ain't used to newcomers, nor are they used to…" he paused and looked her up and down with his blue eyes. She was strange looking that was for sure. From her raven hair and dark eyes, to her dark clothes, she looked like a widow at her husband's funeral. Or a witch.

"Someone who looks as weird as me," she finished for him. A pang went through her heart at Arthur's criticism.

He immediately saw the hurt expression on her face. "I didn't mean it like that," he said.

"Then what did you mean it like? Cause it sure didn't sound like a compliment," she snapped. Suddenly she'd lost her appetite. Without thinking she pushed her plate into his hands and stalked past him.

"Eliza!" he called out to her, but she shook her head as she kept walking away. "Damn it," he muttered to himself after she'd walked out of view. Poor girl was having enough trouble fitting in here without his big mouth getting in the way.

Eliza let out a shaky breath once she got back to her tent. She was the only one around but she still refused to cry. That was the last thing anyone needed to see. Just as she was contemplating going and finding Karen and Sadie, and wallowing in sadness with the fellow widow, a small voice behind her spoke out.

"Do you know where Aunt Karen is?"

Eliza looked behind her to see a small boy, looking up at her with his big eyes. There was a kid here too? She was starting to think 'band of misfits' was a more appropriate title for these people rather than 'gang'.

"Oh, I think she's with Sadie," Eliza replied sweetly. The boy sighed dramatically at her response.

"But Aunt Karen said she was going to lend me and Mama one of her books to read." he whined. "I have to go to bed soon and I wanted Mama to read it to me!"

"Uh…" Eliza had no clue what to do. Should she find his mother? Or go find Karen? She decided just making him happy would be the easiest. Kids made her uncomfortable, and crying kids were perhaps the worst. "Here, I'll look for a book with you. How about that?"

He shook his head. "Mama says I'm not allowed to go through other people's stuff," he responded sadly.

"Well, she is right, but Karen said it was okay if I needed to get something," Eliza winked at the boy and he giggled. "So let's look for that book."

"Okay!"

They spent several minutes digging through Karen's trunks, looking for her books and the supposed story book she had for him.

"What's your name?" Eliza asked while they dug through a trunk. Karen had so much junk that it was hard to sift through it all. How the heck had she managed to hang on to so much crap when they were obviously on the run?

"Jack," the boy replied. "What's yours?"

"Eliza," she said. Jack paused and looked at her.

"Oh, my mama talks about you to Aunt Tilly," he said.

Eliza resisted rolling her eyes. Of course, she did. "And what does your mama say?" she asked.

"Not nice things that I'm not supposed to repeat," he answered innocently.

"Oh." Eliza couldn't think of anything else to say other than that. They spent a few minutes in silence, looking through Karen's trunk when Eliza finally pulled out a book. "Is this the one?"

"Yes!" Jack squealed. "Thank you, Miss. Eliza!" he snatched the book from her hand and held it to his chest.

Eliza giggled. She couldn't be mad at the kid just because his mother was a judgemental witch. She wondered who his mother even was. It obviously wasn't Karen or Tilly. Eliza cringed to think he was Mary-Beth's monster. She didn't know if she could handle that.

"What's the book about?"

"Aunt Karen said it's about a princess who's cursed by a evil fairy and falls asleep for a really long time! Then a prince comes and saves her!" he explained with excitement.

"That sounds great," Eliza said with a smile.

"Jack!" A female voice called out.

"Oh, that's mama!" Jack exclaimed.

From around the other side of Arthur's cart, a dark-haired woman emerged. She was calling Jack's name. Eliza barely recognized her as someone she'd been introduced to the day before.

"Jack! Jack? Jack!" Abigail suddenly caught sight of her son. She ran over and yanked him away from Eliza, catching them both off guard. "Don't you talk to my son!"

"I was just…" Eliza didn't even know how to respond.

"I said leave him alone!" She screamed again. "You'll be gone soon enough anyway." she spat. "Come on, Jack." She yanked him by the arm and he quietly obeyed, looking back at Eliza with sad eyes. Eliza waved at him and a small smile graced his lips as they walked away.

Once he was no longer in view, Eliza's smile quickly faltered. She thought Mary-Beth was bad. Abigail definitely took the award for biggest bitch in camp. Still, Eliza couldn't help but wonder what Abigail had meant when she had said Eliza 'would be gone soon'. Thoughts of Dutch murdering her in the night immediately crossed her mind. For the first time, serious doubts crossed her mind. What the hell had she gotten herself into?

"Eliza?" She looked up to find Arthur standing over her, a sheepish expression on his face. "Eliza, I'm…"

"Arthur, not now!" She said with an exasperated sigh.

"Would you just listen to me?" He yelled. "I'm trying to apologize to you! God damn!"

"Fine." She stood up and huffed, putting her hands on her hips. Since her stature was not the least bit intimidating, she did her best to make her face look as fierce as possible. Her efforts had no effect on the gunslinger, though. "I'm listening."

"I'm sorry about what I said," he said. "I just…how can I make it up to you?"

She almost told him there was nothing he could do. Almost.

"You can take me to Valentine tomorrow," She said. Arthur looked surprised. "Take me to the stables in Valentine, and I'll forgive you."

"What? You trying to buy a horse and run away on us? Don't think I didn't see all that cash on your bed when I went to pick up your bag," he teased.

"No!" She insisted, even though the thought had crossed her mind. "I just need to get Sparrow."

"Sparrow?"

"My horse," she replied. "He's at the stable in Valentine, and I need someone to take me to get him."

Arthur seemed to mull over the idea in his head for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I can take you tomorrow."

"Thank you, Arthur," She smiled up at him and he surprisingly returned it.

"Not a problem," he nodded. "You want to come sit with me by the fire?" Eliza crinkled her nose at him in disgust. "I promise everyone will be nice to you. They wouldn't dare do otherwise in front of me."

"I don't know…"

"Come on, how you going to make peace with everyone if you just sit in the corner of camp and let everyone talk?" he reasoned.

"I guess you're right," she relented with a sigh.

"Come on," he beckoned her forward and she followed him. No more had they stepped into the middle of camp when someone shouting and riding into camp drew both their attention.

"They got Micah! Dutch! Arthur!" A young man shouted as he galloped in on a palamino mustang. He was probably the youngest man Eliza had seen in camp. He looked like a kid still.

"Arthur, what's going on?" Dutch demanded as he stepped out of his tent.

"They got Micah!" The man shouted again as he dismounted in a flash and ran to Arthur and Dutch, who had joined them. "He's been arrested for murder. He was in strawberry and…" he said between pants as he leaned forward, bracing himself on his knees.

"Its okay son, breath."

"They nearly lynched me," he gasped. "They…they got Micah in the sheriffs office in strawberry and there's talk of hanging him."

"Here's hoping," Arthur said

"Arthur!" Dutch scolded.

"What? That fool brought this on himself. You know my feelings about him, Dutch." Arthur replied with a scoff.

"You think I can't see past his bluster to the heart inside? He's a fine man," Dutch insisted, putting a hand over his own heart.

"No, I aint saving that fool," Arthur replied, shaking his head.

"I cant go. My face will be all over West Elizabeth," Dutch pointed out. "I am asking. He would do it for you." God, was Dutch actually pleading with Arthur? How pathetic, Eliza mused.

"I dont think he would but fine, alright," Arthur finally relented with an exasperated sigh. "You okay, Lenny?"

"Of course, I'm okay!" he snapped at Arthur.

"You don't seem okay." Eliza had to agree with Arthur. Lenny definitely didn't look okay.

"You take that kid into town," Dutch ordered. "Valentine, not strawberry, get him drunk and, Arthur," he looked up at Dutch, obviously annoyed by the gang's leader. "No crazy business."

"I've given up," Arthur muttered. He gently grabbed Eliza's elbow and began leading her back to her tent.

"And you get Micah out of that jail!" Dutch finished.

"Yeah, yeah," Arthur yelled back. Once they were far enough away from everyone else, he turned to Eliza. "I'm sorry. Looks like I got some business to take care of."

"I understand," Eliza replied, disappointed.

"I'll probably be gone a couple days taking caring of this damn Micah business, but, tell you what," he continued. "when I get back I'll take you to Valentine."

"I guess I can hang on until then," she agreed. "Go take care of Lenny."

"I'll be back," he said as he waved at her.

Eliza sighed, more disappointed than she thought she would be. How the hell was she going to survive this camp?

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Hope you enjoyed this weeks chapter. I tried my best to get one out early but after I'd written almost a full chapter, I changed things around and started over! It was frustrating but definitely added more to the story. I hope it turned out well. I sometimes get burnt out towards the end of a chapter and get tired of looking at it after a week.**

 **The next chapter is almost finished already, so it should be out soon. Hope you guys are excited to see what happens next.**

 **As always, reviews are appreciated. Special thanks to namine323 for the birthday wishes!**

 **See you guys soon.**

 **-Lexi**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Sparrow**

Eliza's days in the Van der Linde camp were long and mundane. Most of her waking hours consisted of nothing but chores and trite conversations with the other women in camp. That is, when they decided to grace her with conversation. Most of the time they whispered about her across camp, or starred at her out of the corner of their eyes. She was pretty sure she had even seen Mary-Beth literally turn her nose up when passing by which had infuriated Eliza to no end. Karen and Sadie were the only ones who really talked to her besides Arthur. Eliza mood deflated even more at the thought of him. So far he had been off galavanting and saving this Micah fellow for three days. It didn't bother her that it was taking so long, she told herself. She definitely didn't miss him. She just wanted to get to Valentine. That was the only reason.

Eliza had decided to be lazy today, and was sitting with Sadie, reading a book with her back pressed up against a large rock. The widow was, of course, sniffling while she wallowed in her thoughts of Jake. Eliza set her book down and rubbed her hands down her face, pulling her cheeks in frustration. If this day got anymore dull she was going to rip her hair out. Or murder Sadie. One of the two. Just as Sadie began sobbing louder, and Eliza was about to beat her head against the rock and end her own miserable existence, Karen came down the strong trail calling for her.

"Eliza, you down here?" Karen came into view, spotting her immediately. She raised an eyebrow at her frazzled appearance but didn't comment on it. "There you are, Arthur's looking for you. He just got back from Strawberry a bit ago."

"Oh, thank god!" Eliza accidently said. Karen smirked at her.

"Awful excited to see Arthur," she teased. Eliza's cheeks flushed red and she shook her head.

"No, it's not like that!" Eliza insisted. "He promised to take me to Valentine when he got back. That's all."

"Sure," Karen said sarcastically while nodding. "Uh-huh, I believe you."

"You better," Eliza warned jokingly. "See you later." She said hastily, trying to escape her embarrassment as fast as possible. "Bye, Sadie!" she called out to the woman. Sadie didn't respond.

Eliza walked up the trail as casually as she could manage, trying not to look to giddy. Before going to look for Arthur she stopped briefly at her tent, grabbing enough cash to pay for any late stabling fees, as well as some spending money. She also took a moment to glance at her reflection in her hand mirror, checking that she didn't look too unkept after days of not caring what she looked like. She frowned at herself. There were dark circles under her eyes from her poor sleep the last few days, and her nose and cheeks were pink from the sun. Her raven locks that she had been so proud of were frizzy, and tied back in a braid instead of her usual up-do. She shoved her mirror away. There wasn't much she could do about it. She'd just have to dazzle everyone with her personality now instead of her looks. Great.

Finally ready, she walked around the wagon and to Arthur's tent. She found him sitting on his cot, smoking a cigarette. He looked up as she approached and stood up, tossing his cigarette to the side as he did. He looked tired, and Eliza couldn't help but wonder how things had gone getting Micah out of jail.

"I've been looking for you," he said. "Figured I should keep my promise and take you to Valentine."

"If you're up to it," Eliza replied, squinting at his face. "You look tired. How'd it go in Strawberry?"

Arthur scoffed angrily. "About as well as I thought it would. So, not well at all."

"Oh, did Micah…?" She didn't want to say the word die for some reason. It didn't seemed too morbid.

"Nah," Arthur replied disappointed. "That damn man is a roach. He'll probably outlive us all. He just got us into a whole shitload of trouble and well…I gotta stay away from Strawberry for awhile." She knew what that meant.

"Gotcha," she replied with a nod. "Can't say I'm too excited to meet him from what I've heard. Did you bring him back with you?"

Arthur shook his head. "He said he couldn't come back empty handed after making a big mess of things, but I'm sure he'll show himself soon enough. And trust me, you really don't want to meet him."

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied with a nod, wrinkling her nose. Micah could stay away for all she cared. The last thing she needed was another gang member to make things difficult for her. Especially some belligerent, trigger-happy, outlaw.

"Anyway," Arthur changed the subject. "You ready to go?"

"I've been ready all week," She told him. He chuckled.

"Come on, then, I got my horse all ready to go." He waved her forward and she walked beside him to the horse hitches. It was harder than she realized to keep pace with him, considering he towered over her small frame. They had just gotten to Arthur's horse when Hosea intercepted them.

"And where are you two heading off to?" Hosea asked as he swaggered up to the pair, a large rifle in his hands.

"To Valentine," Eliza responded. "Paying a visit to the stable so I can get my horse here."

"Really, now? Sounds like fun," he said while tapping his chin. "Speaking of horses, Arthur, you still ain't replaced Boadicea?"

"Nah," he replied back, his voice tinged with sadness. "I miss her. She was quite a horse. This one's okay but…ain't no Boadicea." Silence fell over them as Arthur seemed to be overtaken by memories of his past horse, and Hosea frowned in thought. Suddenly, his face brightened as an idea crossed his mind.

"Well, I just wanted to come see if you'd be interested in going on a hunting trip with me, Arthur?" he asked.

Arthur grabbed the rifle from Hosea and inspected it closely. "What are you hunting? An elephant?"

Hosea chuckled, "I wish. No, I saw a huge bear. One of the biggest I ever saw. I reckon nearly a thousand pounds."

"Oh, wow!" Eliza exclaimed. She couldn't even imagine seeing an animal that big.

"What, you need me to come with you?" Arthur asked, clearly intrigued by the prospect as he handed Hosea back his rifle.

"Of course, let's go," Hosea replied.

"Hold on, I promised Eliza I'd take her today," Arthur said.

"Well, I've been meaning to offload this big shire horse for awhile now, unruly bastard," he said to Arthur, while gesturing to a large black horse hitched next to them. "Let's take him to Valentine. It's on the way to hunting spot, sort of. We can unload him, you can buy yourself a new horse, Eliza can get hers, and we'll part ways at Valentine."

"I don't know," Arthur replied reluctantly. "I do kind of like this horse." he said patting his brown and white Tennessee Walker.

"There's nothing wrong with two horses and the stables have the best ones," Hosea pointed out with a giddy smile.

"He's right, Arthur," Eliza agreed with Hosea. "I got Sparrow from the dealer in St. Denis and I've never ridden a better horse."

"Smart lass," Hosea smiled. "This is going to be fun, Arthur!"

"You going to be alright with that?" Arthur asked her. "You think you can get back to camp okay?"

"I'm sure I can manage," she said with a nod.

"You ain't gonna run off on me now, are you?" he asked sarcastically.

Eliza rolled her eyes at him. "Trust me, if I wanted to run off I would have done it while you were off saving Micah."

"Fair enough," he chuckled.

Damn, just when Eliza thought she could be normal with Arthur, he did something that made her heart flutter. She couldn't help but feel elated that he didn't want her to leave camp. The feeling made her want to crawl in a hole and die. She was like a dog with a bone. A ravenous dog.

"Come on, lets saddle up the horses." Hosea waved them forward. Eliza and Arthur followed him to the horses. "Arthur, why don't you put your saddle on the Shire? You can both ride him into town," he suggested. Arthur nodded and began undoing the straps on his saddle. Eliza silently waited for them to finish saddling the horses, trying to figure out how the hell she was going to get herself on the Shire. It was much taller than her Dutch Warmblood…and much broader.

"Where'd you get this big fellow anyway?" Arthur asked.

"Some big, loud-mouthed bastard tried to rob me when I was out riding so I…well, you know how it is." Hosea shrugged.

"Yeah," Arthur agreed. With a grunt, Arthur slid the saddle off his horse, and carried it easily to the shire who began pawing the ground at his approach. "He won't throw us?" Arthur asked as he hesitantly put his saddle on the testy shire.

"No, he's an angel..."Hosea replied then smirked as he watched Arthur tighten the saddle. "If I'm near him. Just see if you can get your leg over that brute and I'll help Miss. Coleman on behind you."

"Easy, big fella," Arthur said as he hoisted himself onto the back of the shire. The horse sighed underneath him and let out an irritated neigh, but otherwise allowed Arthur on his back.

"Alright, let's get you on up," Hosea said behind her. Eliza hesitated. She didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of the two men but she was too short to get on the horse by herself.

"Right," Eliza muttered.

Arthur reached down and took her left hand, which she gripped tightly. After apologizing for his grip, Hosea grasped her waist and pushed her upwards.

"Don't sit side saddle," Hosea told her, when he saw her trying to situate that way. "Safer to just swing your leg over."

"Shit!" She cursed loudly as her foot didn't quite make it over the horse and she slipped, almost falling face first. Arthur's strong grip on her hand help steadied her though. Finally, Hosea gave her one final push and she finally managed to hoist herself on to the horse.

"Maybe we should have put you on first," Arthur chuckled.

"Ha ha," She replied sarcastically.

"Good thing you only have to ride the brute once," Hosea said as he mounted his own horse.

"Thankfully," She muttered under her breath. It took a bit of adjusting before Eliza finally got comfortable. Her skirts where definitely not helping in the slightest and she was finding herself contemplating the pros of pants when Arthur suddenly reached behind him and grabbed her hands. He pulled them forward on either side of his waist.

"Make sure you hold on tight, don't want you flying off on us, now," he said with a light chuckle.

Eliza hesitated to lean into him. Her cheeks were burning scarlet and she was silently thanking god that he couldn't see her embarrassment. However, a snort to her right reminded her that Hosea definitely could. She tried to compose herself as quickly as possible and fully leaned into Arthur's back, holding onto his waist tightly. Against her better judgement, she glanced at Hosea, only to find him smirking knowingly at her. Maybe she could ask them to drop her off in the nearest pit instead.

"Alright, let's head into town. No bar fights, please." Hosea said sarcastically while looking pointedly at Arthur. "I heard about that." Arthur looked sheepish.

"I'll do my best." he replied. Eliza giggled as well. The night he'd gone out with Lenny had apparently ended in disaster when they both got black out drunk. started a huge bar fight, and woke up stupidly hung over. She wasn't even sure Lenny had managed to stumble back into camp the next morning, considering he spent the most of the day sleeping and groaning. "You ready?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied quietly. Without hesitation, Arthur spurred the horse forward, and Eliza's stomach lurched as she bumped forward into him.

"We're heading out!" Hosea shouted to Bill as they trotted by. Bill's eyes immediately fell on Eliza and his face contorted into a scowl. "Arthur and I might be gone a couple of days, but Eliza should be back fairly soon."

"Wha-" They trotted out of view before they could hear Bill's protests. They rode out of the grove of trees that surrounded the camp and started north on the road to Valentine.

"They got a good range of horse tack at the valentine stables. Some beautiful saddles. I used to have a real nice one," Hosea said, reminiscing.

"Yeah," Arthur replied. "What happened to that?"

"It got stolen outside that saloon in Deer Creek."

"Ah, I remember now. Just about. That turned into a long day." Arthur sounded exhausted just remembering the incident.

"Yes, remember?" Hosea wheezed as he chucked at the memory. "Mac went crazy, threatened to kill the whole town." Arthur chuckled also. "And davey was passed out so cold we left him there, came back in the next day and he started right back drinking again."

"I miss those boys," Arthur said, his tone suddenly solemn.

"Jenny too," Hosea agreed sadly. "She had some spark that girl." Eliza listened to them silently. Feeling a pang for their loses.

"It must be pretty hard on Lenny, you could tell he was sweet on her."

"Well, lenny and jenny could never have worked," Hosea began. "That's like Arthur and Martha. Or Bill and Phil. I think Eliza's the only one lucky enough to avoid that." Eliza giggled.

"Maybe you're right. Does feel a bit like our luck died with them, too." Arthur said sadly.

"Nonsense. We'll be alright. Just need some money to get back on our feet," Hosea said, in a poor attempt to lighten the mood.

"I hope so." Arthur replied.

A heavy silence fell over them. One that was impossible to break. No one spoke till they had reached Valentine.

"Stables are just up ahead," Hosea said curtly, breaking the silence. When they finally reached the entrance to the stables, Hosea said, "Alright, go sell that big brute, and buy yourself a horse."

"Okay," Arthur replied. His tone was completely different from earlier. It was deep and full of pain. Eliza realized he hadn't yet gotten over the deaths of his friends yet.

"Im going off to the general store, and get a few things to lure that bear off. Meet you two here in a bit." Hosea turned his horse and waved at them, heading to the general store just across the street.

"Can you get down without falling?" Arthur turned his attention to Eliza, glancing over his shoulder.

"No guarantees, but I'll manage," she joked. She grabbed onto his arm and slid off the shire as gracefully as she could. The last thing she wanted was to fall in the mud in front of him. Actually this mud was probably less mud and more horse shit. Great. Somehow, she managed to land on both feet, only teetering slightly while her legs tried to adjust to being on solid ground again. Arthur dismounted behind her and grabbed the shire's reins.

"Alright, let's go sell this brute," he said as they led him into the stables.

"Hey, there," The stable owner greeted Eliza, immediately recognizing her. "How can I help you?"

"I'm here to collect Sparrow from you, and my friend here is looking for a new horse," she replied happily.

"Of course!" he replied, gesturing to one of his stable hands. "I'll have them saddle him up and bring him out for ya. You were short a day on his boarding but…" he looked at Arthur, and just knew he was going to get a decent sale off him. "Don't worry about it, it's on me."

"That's awful generous of you!" Eliza exclaimed. "Thank you."

"Not a problem. And for you sir, you're looking for a new horse?" the stable owner swaggered towards Arthur, eyeing the shire behind him.

"I am. Something strong and fast," Arthur replied.

"Well your in the right place. I got some beauties in at the moment," the stable owner said then whistled at the shire as he circled him. "And what about this one here? Looking to sell?"

"I ain't sure yet," Arthur shrugged, playing coy.

"You got papers?"

"No, no papers," Arthur admitted.

"Well, of course, that's going to affect what I can pay, but your lucks in. I got a feller who's been looking for a decent workhorse like this for awhile. He'll pay a good price. Otherwise I can always stable him here for you. Here, take a look," he said gesturing for Arthur to follow him. Eliza took the reins from Arthur and waited patiently while he looked at the horses for sale.

The two spoke back and forth on each horse. There were three for him to pick from. Arthur didn't seem interested in the first two, but finally on the last stall his eyes lit up. It took a bit for them to finally negotiate, but soon enough shook hands.

"Alright, partner, you got yourself a deal, and a fine new horse," the stable owner said as they walked back to Eliza.

"I hope so," Arthur said.

"Well, I don't sell anything other than good animal. You have my word on that," the owner insisted as he walked to his desk on the other side of the stable.

"Alright, lets see," he mumbled while fishing around through a drawer. "Here are your papers," he held out a few papers to Arthur who took them. "…and on me, a new grooming brush and some treats. For you and the lady."

"Appreciate it," Arthur tipped his hat.

"Thank you, sir," Eliza said as she handed the reins to a stable hand. Arthur had sold the shire.

"It'll just be a bit while we finish getting the horses ready."

"Not a problem," Arthur replied and stood next to Eliza.

"What you name your new horse?" She asked him.

"Nothing yet, have to get to know the horse before I can decide," he replied. "Is that Sparrow?"

Eliza's head whipped up and her face broke out into a smile at the sight of her sooty buckskin Dutch Warmblood being led towards her. "Yes!" She confirmed enthusiastically and sprang forward to meet her steed. "Oh, Sparrow," she cooed as she took his reins and patted his nose. "It's good to see you again."

"That's a mighty fine horse," Arthur complimented. "Dutch Warmblood?"

"You guessed it," she confirmed. "Look they're bringing out yours." The same hand who had brought Sparrow out had returned quickly with a palamino morgan following behind him. They'd taken Arthur's saddle off the shire and donned the morgan with it. It was smaller than Eliza had expected. For some reason she had thought he'd pick a Thoroughbred, or maybe a Ardennes. Still, the horse was fine looking. His eyes were bright and his gait full of spark. Arthur took the reins from the hand with a nod.

"Alright you," The stable owner said to the morgan, and gave him a final pat. "You treat this feller well. I know he's going to look after you just fine."

"Thank you again," Eliza said with a smile to the stable owner.

"You take care now," he waved them off. Both Arthur and Eliza led their horses out of the stable. Hosea was riding his horse back to them, having finished up at the general store.

Looks like a nice animal you got there, Arthur. You happy?" Hosea asked with a smile. He leaned forward in his saddle to get a closer look at the morgan.

"Guess we'll see," Arthur replied as he mounted the horse.

"And Eliza, that's quite a horse, glad we could help you get him back."

"Thank you both again," Eliza smiled at the pair.

"Alright, lets get going, then," Hosea said to Arthur. "We got quite a ride ahead of us. Eliza, you'll be okay from here?"

"Of course," she confirmed. "I'm perfectly capable of getting back to camp from here." Her gaze lingered on Arthur longer than it should have. She was disappointed to see him go again so soon.

"You be careful," Arthur warned her. She scoffed.

"I will. See you two in a couple of days." She said, waving at the pair as they spurred the horses forward. "And you two be careful!" She called after them. Arthur waved over his shoulder. Once they disappeared, Eliza turned to face the main street.

She was by herself for the first time in days. She was definitely going to take advantage of it. It took her a moment to decide what she wanted to do first. Go to the saloon, or the general store first? Maybe she should even stop at the gun store, she thought. Here she was running around with a bunch of outlaws and she didn't even have a cheap revolver at her side. Probably not the smartest move. She almost decided to go to the gun store first, but her growling stomach convinced her otherwise. Might as well spend a few bucks and get a hearty meal from the saloon while she could. Who knew when she'd to come back to Valentine.

With her mind made up, Eliza hitched Sparrow in front of the general store, and walked to the saloon. Her mind completely focused on her rumbling stomach and the food she was about it fill it with. She didn't even realize someone was following her until she was pulled into the alley in between the shops.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **This chapter came super fast since I had most of it written last week, but had to change things around. Again, I got tired of staring at this chapter so I hope there's not many mistakes. Two chapters in one week though is pretty amazing! Lucky you guys.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it! Things are finally starting to get a little interesting. I can't wait to get the next chapter out. It probably won't be too long since I've already started it.**

 **Also, I didn't realize how long it would take Micah to get here. I don't plan on doing every single mission with Eliza, but he's definitely not in the next two chapters so...sorry if you were wanting him to come earlier.**

 **As always, thanks for reading and reviewing!**

 **-Lexi**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: O'Driscolls**

"What the hell are you doing here?" Eliza threw her hands up in exasperation. John smacked his lips and shook his head, seeming equally as frustrated by the situation. "Were you following us?" Eliza demanded, pointing her finger at him which he swatted away.

"Dutch wanted to make sure you didn't get up to no trouble." John grumbled. "Trust me, I ain't to happy about this neither."

"The only trouble I'm getting up to is the scene we're making," she hissed, gesturing widely to the townspeople passing by who had suddenly slowed their strides to a snail's pace so they could overhear their conversation. Nosy bastards.

"I don't know what you mean," he insisted but his demeanor quickly changed to apprehensive as his eyes darted around to all the townspeople.

"Right…" Eliza grumbled.

"What the hell did you you think you were going to do here by yourself anyway?" he demanded. "Heading to the sheriff? Trust me, you ain't going to live long enough to collect that reward money if you do!"

"Sure, that's exactly what I'm going to do," She replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "For your information, I was getting food and shopping for a few things before heading back to camp."

"Well, don't worry. I'll make sure that's all you do," he growled.

"Nevermind," she sighed. "It's not worth it if I have to drag your sorry ass around."

"My sorry ass?" he raised an eyebrow. "If anyone's a sorry ass it's you. You're the one who mopes around camp with the widow." Eliza tried her best not to be offended by his words, but she couldn't help but purse her lips. A thousand responses rang through her mind. She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to cry. Hell, she wanted to throw him down in the middle of town and beat his mangled face bloody. She did none of those.

"Yeah, well, birds of a feather," she muttered and turned on her heel, walking away from him.

"What?" John demanded following her into the middle of the street.

"Hm?"

She didn't even know where she was going anymore. She was just trying to walk away from John and his hurtful words. Actually, it wasn't just John. She was trying to walk away from everyone. The days she had endured, hearing everyone's hurtful, ignorant words were taking it's toll on her. For some reason. John was the tip of the iceburg. Her composure was cracking right infront of him.

"What you say!" he demanded again.

The town's people were staring even harder. Stopping and whispering to each other. She couldn't escape it. God, when was it going to stop? Something in Eliza shattered. She whipped around to face John, tears stinging her eyes.

"Nothing!" She screeched. John's stopped dead in his tracks, completely caught off guard by her outburst. "Just fucking drop it, John!" she sniffled. "Trust me, you don't want to hear why I get along so well with the widow." she said gravely. There was a brief pause while they stared at eachother. John mulled over her words silently as he starred at her trembling form.

"I'm…I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely. Eliza's fury quickly deflated, her tears dried up, and her shoulders sagged with guilt.

"No, I'm…"

"Don't apologize." John said. He glanced around, his lips set into a deep frown as his gaze fell on the sheriff who had mossied out of his office to see what the commotion was. "Come on, let's just get back to camp," he grabbed her elbow and pulled her back towards their horses. She tore her arm out of his grasp but continued to follow him. John shrugged, exasperated.

"When we get back, you can tell Dutch I don't need a babysitter," she said as she mounted Sparrow.

"Tell him yourself," he growled back, then mounted his own horse, a Hungarian Halfbred. The pair left Valentine without saying another word to each other. It wasn't until after they were well on their way to camp when John finally spoke.

"None of us are making it easy for you back at camp, huh?" John asked.

"No," Eliza replied honestly. "If it ain't one of the girls running their mouths it's the death glares from you lot." She wasn't sure why she was being honest with him. She hadn't been entirely honest with anyone in camp yet, not even Karen. She wasn't entirely sure lying was getting her anywhere fast.

"Where'd you come from before this?" he glanced over his shoulder at her as he asked.

"St. Denis," she replied simply.

"And before that?"

"Um, I don't really remember," She said with a shrug. His eyebrow rose at her response. "My brother moved me around so much when I was younger, I couldn't tell you half the places we've been. I just know I've been in St. Denis the longest."

John scoffed, "Never would have pegged you for an orphan."

"There's a lot you probably wouldn't figure," she replied with a smirk.

"Oh, I'll figure it out," He replied, and glanced over his shoulder again. "Eventually."

Eliza couldn't help but smile. She felt light talking to him, even if he was basically interrogating her. Maybe it was because he was the first one to take an interest in her besides Karen, but Karen didn't ask much either.

"And what about you? Where'd you come from?" She shot back.

"All around," John replied cryptically. "Been running with Dutch for a long time now."

"And before that?" She asked, mimicking his questions.

"Illinois."

"Wow," she said, genuinely surprised. "I never would have figured that."

"Yeah, well, life doesn't always turn out the way you pictured it," he shrugged.

"That's for sure," she replied. There was a brief silence between them before Eliza thought of another question.

"Can I ask," she began. "What's wrong with your face?"

John snorted loudly, caught off guard. "You really going to ask a man what's wrong with his face? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"No, I-" Eliza couldn't help but giggle. "I'm sorry. I meant what happened to your face?"

"I ain't too sure that's any better but I get you," he chuckled too. "Don't know if anyone told you, but after Blackwater, the gang hid out in the mountains, and while I was out scouting, I ran into a pack of wolves. Arthur and Javier found me two days later."

"I'm so sorry," Eliza didn't know what else to say.

"It ain't nothing now. Abigail was worried sick though," he mindlessly ran his fingers along the gouges on his face. They were still scabbed and healing, a couple of stitches still left in. "She and my boy kept me in bed for weeks. I'd still be in bed losing my damn mind if Dutch hadn't made them let me up."

"You mean Jack? He's your son?" That was news to Eliza. She rarely saw them together. John slept in his own tent all the way across camp from Abigail and Jack.

"Yeah," he replied sheepishly. "He's a fine young boy."

"He sure is," she agreed. "His mother though…" she muttered to herself.

"What's wrong with Abigail?" John asked, apparently having heard her.

"Oh, nothing, she just…she saw me talking to Jack and ripped into me." Eliza internally cringed. John was probably not the right person to be complaining about Abigail to, considering they had a child together. She was preparing for John to rip into her too but was surprised by his reaction.

"Abigail is…" he sighed. "Abigail is a little hard to get a long with. I wouldn't worry about it. She's ripped into me more times than I can count."

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied.

A comfortable silence fell over the pair as they continued their ride. They weren't too much farther from camp. The heat of the day was making Eliza drowsy and she let her thoughts wander. She stared lazily at John's back as she mindlessly followed him until his shoulders suddenly stiffened. She immediately snapped out of her daze.

"John, what is it?" She whispered as she matched Sparrow's pace with his horse Her gaze fell onto the trio of men riding towards them. She recognized their green bandanas immediately.

"O'Driscolls." She whispered.

"Just don't look at them," he warned. John's jaw was tightly clenched, his mouth pursed into a thin line as he stared forward, refusing to look at the men riding towards them. She knew better than to disobey. She turned her gaze downwards to her saddle horn and silently prayed they would pass each other without incident, but luck was not on their side.

Howdy," One of the O'Driscolls said as they approached, tipping his hat at the pair. Eliza glanced up at the trio, and the O'Driscoll's eyes immediately fell on her. Recognition seemed to register in his black eyes, and he looked back at his companions with a smile. Eliza furrowed her brows, her stomach suddenly churning with anxiety.

"We don't want no trouble," John said as he tipped his hat. The looks the O'Driscoll's shared had not gone unnoticed by him. "We're just passing through."

"Ain't no trouble," The O'Driscoll said. "If you give us the girl." Eliza gulped, and tightened her grip on the reins until her knuckles turned white.

"Excuse me?" John demanded. He halted his horse, positioning himself in front of Eliza. "You fellows best just move along before you start something you can't finish." His right hand crept up to his holster, ready to draw at any moment.

"Not without the girl," The O'Driscoll insisted, as he eyed John's hand.

"Well you ain't getting her!" John shouted and drew his revolver, but the O'Driscolls were just as fast. Within a split second they had drawn their guns as well, and fired. Shots echoed all around her.

Eliza tried to steer Sparrow to gallop away, but he was spooked and reared back, throwing her from the saddle. She hit the ground and for a split second everything turned white, and stars exploded across her vision. Ringing in her ears drowned out everything around her. Then she blinked, and she was looking up at the sky. Gray clouds were gathering together, brewing into a storm. Suddenly, John's voice pierced through the ringing, the sounds of gunfire taking it's place, and she realized she was in danger.

"Damn it, Eliza! Move!" He yelled.

No more had he spoke and she was rolling off her back, but she had wasted too much time. One of the O'driscoll men was already upon her, his buddies covering him as he ran to Eliza. He grabbed a fistful of her hair, raising her head, before the butt of his gun connected with her temple.

Everything went black.

* * *

 **Hey everyone!**

 **Not much to say this week, other than the usual. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Were you expecting John to be the one who showed up? I really had no intention of John being in the story but somehow this happened and well... *shrugs* Sometimes characters do what they want.**

 **As always, reviews are appreciated.**

 **See you guys next week!**

 **-Lexi**


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